


So Small A Thing

by in_a_blog_in_the_ground



Series: One-Shots [7]
Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-13
Updated: 2013-12-13
Packaged: 2018-01-04 13:39:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1081657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/in_a_blog_in_the_ground/pseuds/in_a_blog_in_the_ground
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nori gets curious, and old habits die hard.</p>
            </blockquote>





	So Small A Thing

**Author's Note:**

> Just a scenario that occurred to me today

“Woah! Ah, Bilbo, mate, didn’t see ye there! Alrigh’? ‘Ere we go, no ’arm done!” Nori guided Bilbo around him with a helpful hand on his shoulder as they negotiated the night’s campsite, set in a narrow rut of rock in the mountains.

“Oh, I do apologize! Didn’t mean to be underfoot there!” Bilbo juggled his bowl of supper as Nori smiled and waved off his contrition.

The dwarf continued on past his fellows to the spot where he was to take first watch, exchanging japes as they ribbed him about his ill luck. The trek had been difficult that day, negotiating treacherous drops and steep cliffs, and the Company was exhausted. Nori nodded to his brothers as he passed them, ruffling Ori’s hair along the way, which the younger dwarf endured with a shake of his head and a smile, returned in kind.

When he was alone, settled against a tall stone standing like a sentry along the pass, Nori snuck a glance behind at the sleeping Company, and reached into his pocket.

In his palm sat a simple gold ring.

Nori frowned. Just a ring? But it had felt so heavy… What could be so special about this ring that Bilbo had to keep checking it?

The first time Nori had noticed Bilbo with it was when he had rejoined them outside the goblin caves, seemingly out of thin air. The hobbit had brushed a hand over his waistcoat pocket, but Nori had thought nothing of it at the time. Besides, they had had other things to worry about…

But since then, Nori would see Bilbo compulsively snaking a finger into the pocket every once in a while, as if checking that whatever was in there, was still there. The thief’s curiosity was peaked, and he began to wonder. So when he bumped into the hobbit earlier, he had taken the opportunity to temporarily relieve his pocket of its burden.

Nori continued examining the ring. There seemed to be nothing remarkable about it, save its surprising weight; it was just a plain gold band, no etchings or gems set into the surface. As he continued turning it back and forth in front of his face, still frowning in confusion, Nori did finally notice something odd.

 _Unless ‘is ‘obbity ‘ands is bigger’n I thought…_ Nori held the ring between thumb and middle finger, mentally measuring the circumference. There was no mistake about it: the ring was wide enough for a dwarven hand, much thicker than Bilbo’s slim hobbit fingers. In fact, it looked just about the right size for him…

With a sharp shake of his head, Nori jerked back, balling his left hand back into a fist. There was something strange about that ring. As his finger had neared it, he had become aware of an odd white noise, like voices whispering around him, and he had a feeling of lightness, his hands wanting to draw together on their own. A shiver going down his back as he stared at the gold, he was lost for a moment.

“I’ll be having that back now, if you please.”

Nori’s whole body tensed. No one, _no one_ , had gotten the drop on him like that in decades. _Huh. Maybe Gandalf was right about him. Burglar, indeed…_ Forcibly composing himself, Nori turned around as nonchalantly as he could manage.

“Certainly,” he said with a smile, holding out the ring to Bilbo. “Heh heh, sorry ‘bout that, mate, old habits, y’see. Was goin’ta return it when I got off shift. Ye beat me to it.” He gave Bilbo a small smirk and a half-shrug, wanting to show that the whole thing was of no matter, but there was a coldness in the halfling’s eyes as he took back the ring that Nori did not expect.

“Thank you,” Bilbo said stiffly. Nori’s quick eyes saw that he gave the ring an odd, comforting stroke with his thumb before slipping it back into his waistcoat pocket.

Without another word, Bilbo moved to return to the group, leaving the air tense. Nori strangely felt the need to clear it. “Erm, look, wait! ‘M sorry, Bilbo, I didn’t mean nuffin’ by it. I just…” Bilbo paused, but did not turn around. Nori pressed on. “Wot’s so special about that ring, anyway?”

His back to the dwarf, Bilbo appeared as just a featureless silhouette against the dying firelight. To Nori, somehow his shadow seemed darker and larger than it should have. “Nothing,” Bilbo said in a soft voice, “Nothing at all. It is just…precious to me.”

As Bilbo walked off as if in a trance, Nori continued to wonder…

**Author's Note:**

> Recently, I had a little discussion with someone about Dwarves and why they might have not succumbed to Sauron's rings as the Men had. In summary, I thought it was because of their natural resilience and stubbornness, and how the rings seem to amplify the traits that are already there seemed to me that they would really just motivate the Dwarves along their own paths, instead of Sauron's. 
> 
> So here, I thought of all the Company, Nori might be the one to notice any odd little tics that might crop up among the members, including how after the goblin caves, Bilbo might keep checking his pocket. And I wondered what would happen if he got his hands on it. He's the only one that would or could even pickpocket poor Bilbo too, anyway :P 
> 
> That implications of that ring always kind of freaked me out in the story.


End file.
